Читать книгу Reluctant Gemini - Lawrence BSL Warren - Страница 3

Rudy sat up in his bed with a jolt. He sat motionless in the dark and listened. His hotel suite was silent, but he perceived he was not alone. His eyes strained in the darkness trying to find what had alarmed him. He slowed his breathing to be able to hear the slightest sound. He was now fully alert but sure something was not right. It was obvious to him that laying in bed he would be unable to properly defend himself if need be.

Slowly he moved to the edge of the king size bed and slid his feet to the floor. He rose and stood quietly in the dark. He was naked.

Without a warning, Rudy’s suspicion of an intruder was confirmed. A heavy fist came out of the darkness and slammed into his face. Instinctively, he stepped into the blow and swung his right fist at the unseen target. Rudy fell back against the wall and then onto the bed face down. He struggled to lift himself up to confront his assailant.

Before he was able to regain his composure the intruder tackled him from behind. The two men fought while the intruder tried to pull a knife from his jacket pocket.

“Kill the son-of-a-bitch,” shouted a second intruder from the darkness. “Get your ass over here and help me cut his balls off,” snarled the man on Rudy’s back.

Rudy could hear the hiss of a knife slicing through the air just as it cut across his left shoulder. The sting from the knife wound brought added determination and strength to Rudy’s fight. He rolled from under the intrude atop him and threw a quick jab to the man’s throat. The effect was instantaneous as the intruder fell to the floor gasping for air as his Adams-apple swelled shut and cut off his ability to breathe.

Rudy jumped up from the bed and raced across the room to the light switch and flipped it on. The blood was running freely from his cut shoulder and covered his left arm and bare chest.

He quickly turned to see the second intruder charging at him with the knife held at chest height. Rudy reached behind himself and switched the light off and then crouched down waiting for his attacker to storm by.

Again Rudy could hear the hiss of the knife as it passed over his head, missing him. Rudy jumped up jamming the top of his head squarely under the man’s jaw. The sound of the thug’s neck breaking was unmistakable as both men collapsed to the floor.

The room was silent again. Rudy took a deep breath and pulled himself to his feet. He flipped on the lights and surveyed the room.

The two intruders remained motionless. Guardedly, he retrieved the large switch blade knife from the hand of the man with the broken neck. Rudy walked to the bed and inspected the condition of the other intruder. Neither of the men were familiar, both were dead.

He glanced at the clock on the night stand and read the time out loud “2:45 A.M.”

He pulled the sheet off the bed and wrapped it around his cut arm. All he could do was stand there and wonder what this was all about. Why were these two goons here? Who had sent them to his room and how had they gotten into the suite without a key card?

He had no large sum of cash or valuables with him to steal. He recalled the command that the broken necked man had shouted out “kill the son-of-a-bitch”. For the attackers to be there to kill him made no sense.

Rudy glanced at the two bodies as he made his way to the bathroom to nurse his wounds to make sure no one was moving. The cut across his shoulder was bad and needed stitches. He had lost a lot of blood and needed immediate attention.

After clearing off the blood and applying a large bandage to his shoulder, he slipped on black trousers, a blue silk shirt and loafers. He would need to find the nearest hospital emergency room quickly.

He turned out the lights and hung the Do Not Disturb sign on the outside of the door handle. Rudy crossed the hall to the waiting elevator and stepped inside. The door closed immediately behind him and the elevator started down. He took a long look at the lighted numbered panel before deciding it would be best to push the first floor button instead of the Lobby button. It seemed in his best interest to leave the hotel without being seen. He would get off at the first floor, find the stairs, and walk down to the rear exit.

In two days he would be thirty years old. The young Spaniard had dark straight hair, pale blue eyes and strikingly handsome good looks. He was tall and lean and confident about himself. By his manners and dress it was evident he was a man of means.

He stood close to the mirrors and examined his clean shaven face. His left cheek was slightly swollen and bruised.

It occurred to him he was going to have to tell the doctor how he had come to cut himself. Telling the truth about the intruders and the fight was going to require too much explanation and it did not seem to be the correct time to do so. The police would surely be informed if he told anyone the truth. He would need to make up a reasonable lie before arriving at the hospital.

The elevator slowed to a stop and the door opened at the first floor. He stepped from the elevator. To his surprise, he was in a brightly lighted, large room with lots of busy people. The hotel’s first floor was a lounge and restaurant, now being cleaned by the hotel staff.

A short, round woman pushing a vacuum cleaner stopped and looked up at him and said in broken English “Sorry, we closed”. Rudy smiled and said “Thank you, I’m looking for the stairs”. She pointed to the far corner at two large wooden doors. The doors were marked with a lighted sign above them that read stairs. Again, Rudy smiled and said “Gracias”.

Rudy marched past the white linen draped tables to the doors and made his way out into the stairwell and down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs was a set of glass doors marked ‘Broadway Street exit.’

A doorman outside pulled the door open as Rudy approached. “Thank you, please hail me a cab” Rudy said. The doorman waved his white gloved hand in the air and a taxicab stopped at the curb. Rudy climbed into the backseat and instructed the driver to take him to the nearest hospital emergency room.

The ride was quick and silent, the driver had nothing to say, for which Rudy was grateful.

The large clock on the wall behind the nurse’s station read 3:30 A.M. as Rudy stood at the admission counter waiting for attention.

“Yes, what do you need”? The old nurse finally asked Rudy. “I’d like to see a doctor” Rudy replied. “Yeah....you and half of New York City would I’m sure” she mumbled under her breath. She handed Rudy a clipboard with an Admission sheet and said “Fill out both sides, then give it back to me”. “Oh”, she continued, “We only see emergencies here and we’re backed-up for at least two hours. Rudy pointed to his left shoulder and said “I have a deep cut requiring stitches”.

The wait was only about an hour when a nurse walked into the waiting room and called out Rudy’s name. “Rudolph Rodriguez”. Rudy stood up and followed her into another room and then into a curtained cubicle. “Sit on the gurney and remove your shirt” she commanded. Rudy did so without comment.

The nurse removed the bandage and tape Rudy had applied to his shoulder. The wound began to bleed as soon as the dressing’s pressure was released. She frowned upon discovering the severity of the deep cut. “How on earth could you have cut yourself this badly” she asked. “Sword practice” Rudy answered. “Sword practice” she repeated. “Yes” was Rudy’s only answer. She placed a large gauze pad over the cut and said “Hold this in place until Doctor Bean can see you”. As she left she swung the curtain closed, leaving him in the privacy of the cubicle.

The curtain re-opened a short time later and Doctor Bean entered carrying a clipboard with Rudy’s admission paperwork attached. “Mr. Rodriguez, I’m Doctor Bean” the pretty blonde young woman said. Rudy said nothing, just smiled back at her.

Without waiting for a response, she continued, “A laceration, self-inflicted with a sword” she read aloud from the forms. Rudy slowly nodded his head and said “Yes, that’s correct.”

She moved to his side and removed his hand and the gauze pad from the wound. She tenderly examined his shoulder.

“Looks like a knife wound to me” she said. “Tell me how you did this with a sword and why would you be practicing with a sword at this time of night” she prompted.

“Sword practice” he persisted.

“I am a matador, and in my country, Spain, I am well respected for my swordmanship, and that takes practice, lots of practice” he said. “I practice blindfolded, late at night to hone my balance and concentration” Rudy said somberly. “Tonight I lost my concentration for a moment” Rudy confided.

Dr. Pamela Bean was quiet for a moment and then said, “You’re going to need three stainless steel staples and ten sutures to close this up.” Without waiting for his reply Doctor Pamela set about the task of sterilizing the wound and readied the staple machine. “This is going to sting a bit” she said, as she held the stapler to his arm.

“So what brings a sword wielding matador to New York City?” she asked. “I’m here about my parents’ estate” Rudy said, and at that moment Doctor Pamela pulled the trigger of the staple machine. “Eee” Rudy moaned as the first stapled fastened his flesh together, but without pausing he continued to explain his visit to New York City.

“My father was Doctor Hector Rodriguez, you may have heard of him” he said.

“The cardiovascular surgeon Hector Rodriguez?” she asked as she pulled the trigger for the second time. “Eee...yes” Rudy winced. “Of course I’ve heard of him, what doctor hasn’t heard of him? He was world famous.” she blurted out as she pulled the trigger for the third staple.

“Oooooh, I was just a boy when he and my mother drowned” Rudy sighed. “I really have no memory of them, it happened over 25 years ago” said Rudy.

Doctor Pamela put away her instrument and asked, “How’d it happen?”

“My father’s yacht was lost at sea and assumed sank with all hands on board. It was never found, and to this day it’s a mystery as to what really happened” Rudy said, as he looked at his shoulder and three silver staple crowns.

Pamela threaded a curved needle for the sutures and said, “The staples will need to be removed in about ten days, the sutures I’m going to use will dissolve by themselves....You would have been a very young boy 25 years ago,” she continued. “How did you manager to be the only one to survive the yacht’s sinking?”

Rudy paused for a moment before answering. Was it prudent of him to tell her so much about his past. “We were not aboard the yacht when it vanished,” he said. “My twin brother, Roberto was sick with the flu at the time, so the two of us were not permitted to sail. We were sent to the abbey of the Franciscan monks to wait for their return and for Roberto to be nursed back to health. Of course they never returned, so our planned four week sabbatical turned into fourteen years. We never left the abbey, and it became our permanent home. The Franciscan monks were made our guardians by the terms of my father’s last will and testament” Rudy said, and then sat quietly.

Doctor Bean proceeded with the sutures. “Living in a monastery must have been very tough for a little boy” she commented.

“At first it was very hard, but after a couple of years I learned how to deal with it. I was well cared for and had the best education available. I was not expected to live or act like a monk, but I did have some obstacles to overcome” Rudy said.

Dr. Pamela looked into Rudy’s blue eyes and for the first time smiled and said “I’m sure it was a lonely childhood without any women or little girls around.”

Rudy gazed back into Pamela’s green eyes and a broad smile beamed across his face as he said “You have beautiful green eyes...and there have always been women around.”

Pamela slowly nodded her head and said “I’ll bet there were.”

She placed a large bandage over the wound and said “You will have a faint scar here, a thin pale line, nothing too noticeable. You can put your shirt back on now and I would like to see you in a couple of days to see how you’re doing.”

Rudy said “I’d like to see you again too, perhaps you would join me for dinner one evening soon”

Pamela looked at her watch and said, “It’s almost 5:00 A.M., I’ve worked a double shift and I’m starving. If you change that invitation to breakfast, you have a date. It will take me about ten minutes to be ready and I know this great little café that serves a scrumptious country style breakfast. You’ll need to go to the admissions desk to pay your bill. I’ll meet you there,” she said, then turned and walked out of the curtained room.

Rudy put his shirt on, paid his bill and waited.

Pamela had removed her white smock and changed her clothing. She wore tight shiny black pants and a form fitting pink pullover top that showed off her curvy shape. Rudy smiled his approval. She was beautiful and sexy.

“Do you dress like that for all your dates?” he asked as he offered her his arm.

“Just for breakfast with a handsome matador” she teased with a smile, and took his extended arm.

Arm-in-arm they walked through the corridor to the main entrance double doors and out onto the street.

She said, “the café is in the next block. Are you okay to walk that far?”

He nodded his head yes and said “Sure, why not?”

She looked him in the eyes and said, “Well, you’ve lost a lot of blood, remember?”

“I’m fine,” he said, I’ve almost forgotten that it even happened, thanks to you.”

They walked the rest of the way to the café in silence.

“We’re here,” she said, and reached for the door handle.

Rudy put his hand on top of her’s and said, “permit me.”

Pamela paused, then slowly slid her hand from under his and said, “of course.” Rudy opened the door and they entered.

Inside the café they found a window booth and slid in on opposite sides. Rudy picked up a menu for himself and one for Pamela and handed it to her.

“So...what’s the house speciality?” he asked.

“The country style breakfast has all of my favorites,” she said.

“That sounds good to me,” he said, “do you drink coffee?” “Yes, decaf,” she said.

“I will order for both of us, I hope that does not offend you?”

“You’re a romantic, I believe, Mr. Rodriguez and no, it does not upset me. In fact, I love being treated special...by the right man, that is.”

Rudy smiled and nodded his head, “My friends call me Rudy. Romance and passion are part of life for a matador”, he said “Chivalry and valor do not end after a matador leave the bullring, or after he removes the suit of lights.”

“Suit of lights?” Pamela questioned. “Yes, the customary, tight radiant costume that bullfighters have been performing in for centuries. It’s called a suit of lights because they’re made with satin decorated in gold that reflect the afternoon sunlight”, Rudy said.

The waitress arrived at their booth and Rudy ordered a pot of decaffeinated coffee and their breakfast.

When the waitress left them, Pamela inquired, “So, you really are a matador then?”

Rudy smiled and said, “I’m ranked in the top five in the world.”

Pamela’s eyebrows raised and she said, “I’m impressed! I must admit that when I first heard that you had wounded yourself with a sword during late night practice, I wasn’t sure about your story.”

Rudy was quiet for a moment and then said, “If I had told you I had been wounded in a knife fight would you have called the police?”

Pamela took a deep breath and then said “Yes, of course...it’s the law...we must report all gunshot wounds and stab wounds to the police.”

Rudy replied, “That sounds like the proper thing to do for most cases, but not in my case.”

At that moment the waitress brought their breakfast and the conversation was put on hold. The next few minutes were spend in silence sampling their breakfast.

Pamela was first to speak, “So, is your twin brother a matador also?”

Rudy smiled and said, “No, Roberto is a businessman. He deals in stocks and real estate. He spends most of his time with books, studying. When we were kids he was sick a lot, so all he could do was read.”

Pamela asked, “Are you and your brother close?

“Very” Rudy said, “But we never do anything together. We both have separate interests and we have completely different lifestyles.”

“Are you identical twins?” Pamela asked.

“Yes, Roberto wears glasses, other than that it’s hard to tell us apart.”

Pamela smiled and said, I’ll bet that makes for interesting moments.”

Rudy took a sip of his coffee and then said, “More than I can tell you.”

Pamela wanted to ask why, but thought better not to. Instead, she said “Your studious twin grew up to become a businessman, and you a matador. Why a bullfighter and not a doctor, like your famous father?”

Rudy rolled the question around in his mind for a while before answering, “I admire my father, and all doctors for that matter, but I could never imagine spending my life dealing with sick people. I get depressed just thinking about it,” he said. “That world is not a happy place, too much sorrow and sadness.”

He lowered his eyes to the table and was quiet for a moment to compose himself. When he looked into Pamela’s eyes, he said, “Now, as for being a matador, that’s a very macho, very festive, very grand world,” he smiled. “All Spanish boys dream of growing up and becoming a flamboyant, famous matador. It’s very hard to explain to a woman, and even harder to explain to an American woman,” he said.

Canadian,” she said defiantly “And maybe I would understand, if you’d try me.”

Rudy could sense he had hurt her feelings. “Lo siento...I’m sorry”, Rudy repeated in English for her.

For a long moment they took turns gazing out the café window.

Rudy then asked, “Canadian huh...which part of Canada are you from?”

Montreal”, she answered.

“Really, we are considering buying a high-rise office building in downtown Montreal. The Montreal Towers Building. Do you know of it?” Rudy asked.

Pamela answered with surprise, “You’re buying the Montreal Towers Building?”

“Yes, well our company, 3R’s World Holdings is,” Rudy said. “We made an offer last week.”

“Well congratulations, you’ll be my father’s landlord. My father has had his stock brokerage business in the Montreal Towers for almost 20 years. Perhaps you know my father, Charles Bean of C. W. Bean Limited?”

“No, I don’t. I do know of the company however, and have done business with them for many years.

“I’d like to know more about Charles Bean’s daughter. What brings you to New York city?” he asked.

Pamela considered the question for a moment and then said, “My internship in emergency medicine at N.Y. General. I can’t think of a better place to get such diverse training. It’s like they say, if ‘I can make it there, I can make it anywhere’. I’ve worked hard over the last couple of years and my internship is finally over. I’m now ready to move on to a more normal existence at a slower pace. Tomorrow my contract with N.Y. General Hospital expires and I am not going to renew it. I’m planning on flying to St. Louis, renting a car, and driving out west and just kind of feeling my way around to see what’s happening and what’s available. When I find a place I like, I’ll spend a few days and see if I can get this city out of my system.”

Rudy smiled and said, “You don’t look like the vagabond type to me.”

Pamela smiled back at him and said, “What type of woman do I look like to you?’

Rudy took a long slow breath and said, “You look like the type of woman men spend their whole lives dreaming about and searching for. You look like the type of woman men lust after. You look like the type of woman that steals a mans’ heart, just by smiling at him. You look like the type of woman men want to be seen with everywhere. You look like the type of woman men want to hide away from the world.”

Rudy paused and sat silent, gazing into Pamela’s green eyes, waiting for her to respond to him. “Rudy....that’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me”, she replied.

Rudy continued, “You are a very beautiful young woman. Surely you have many admirers and suitors.”

“I’m flattered you think so,” she said “But actually, I have very few dates. I have buried myself in my career and besides, most of the offers I get are from men I find unattractive or they are married.”

Are your married Rudy?” She asked in a whisper as if afraid to hear his answer.

“No,” he said, “I’m still looking for that perfect woman, I’m still looking for someone like you.”

Pamela smiled with delight at his answer. She asked, “No potential prospects?”

“Like I said before, there have always been women,” he teased.

Pamela blushed and could feel her checks redden. She felt embarrassed to have been so direct about her questions regarding his martial status.

Rudy waited for a moment for her to recover and then said, “If you’ve finished with your coffee, perhaps we should be on our way. It’s almost 6:30 and I have some unfinished business to attend to. I would like to see you home.”

“You needn’t do that if you’re in hurry to be somewhere,” she replied.

Rudy smiled and said, “I need to take you home so that I”ll know where to pick you up for dinner this evening.”

Pamela lowered her eyes and said, “I’m sorry Rudy, but I’m working another double shift tonight at the emergency room. If there was any way for me to get out of it, I would but I promised.”

Rudy said, “Well I guess I’ll have to see you in the emergency room then.” Pamela laughed and said, “No more sword practice for a while, please. I am available Sunday night, and I would like for you to see me home.”

Rudy stood up and offered his hand to Pamela, helping her out of the booth. “We have a date then,” he said.

After paying for breakfast, Rudy escorted Pamela out of the café. Once outside Rudy asked “which way? Will we need a cab?”

“No actually it’s just two blocks down the street, toward the park.”

Rudy smiled and said, “Pamela dear, join me for a dawn promenade to the parque.” and he offered her his arm.

Pamela took his arm and replied, “I would love to kind sir...I think I’m being spoiled by this matador chivalry.”

The city was warm and calm, as the couple strolled arm-in-arm along the street toward Central Park.

Pamela took advantage of the moment to ask Rudy about his becoming a matador. “Tell me about the first time you went into the ring with a real bull,” she inquired. “How old were you? Tell me why you wanted to do it.” she continued.

Rudy said, “Okay...I’ll tell you. I was fourteen years old....and I’ve never been prouder. To be a man, you are expected to face your fears and dance with the bull. The bull will kill you, so you must take control, and from that point on, your life has true meaning...true passion.... true understanding. You see life’s beauty, and you take nothing for granted. Life is very short. The problem is that you can’t wait for the next time, and the next time...it becomes an obsession. You love it and you hate it. The longer you do it the easier it is to lose respect for el Toro. But if you get careless and forget that the bull wants to be the champion too, he will kill you, or worse, crush your spine and leave you in the dirt to live.”

Pamela looked into Rudy’s blue eyes, they were wet with emotion.

Rudy stopped in his stride and turned to face her. “I have seen many amigos carried from the ring, never to walk again. I feel a great pain in my heart for them. They were very brave, and some, to please the crowds, would stand in front of the bull and let themselves be gored and trampled to the ground.”

Pamela put her arms around Rudy’s waist and the two embraced. She was silent and looked into his tear filled eyes.

Rudy slowly lowered his lips to hers and kissed her very gently. The kiss was warm and wet. A tear fell from Rudy’s eye onto Pamela’s check. Pamela’s breasts and cheeks grew warm and her breathing became rapid. The tear felt cool as it trickled down her pale skin. She desired a steady stream of his cooling tears to bask in. Rudy’s hands upon her back, held her firmly against his chest. He could feel her heart beating against his. Rudy withdrew his lips from Pamela’s just slightly and lingered there for a moment. Without a word. the signal between the two of them was for more. Rudy’s open mouth met Pamela’s full red lips and shared shivering passion. His tongue played rhythmically upon her lips and tongue sending jolts of electric shock through her entire body. Pamela fantasized about his kiss. They played with each other with their tongues and lips for almost a minute.

After they finally broke away from each other Pamela said, “Rudy, you wouldn’t think of doing anything as foolish as letting yourself be gored by a bull, would you?”

“No, of course not,” he replied. “They did it for the money and the fame. I have all the money I could ever use and as for fame, I’d rather have the love of a good woman than all the fame in the world. I’ve earned my position reputably, without any tricks, and I’m not about to change.”

Pamela said, “I wouldn’t want to see you get hurt.”

“Don’t worry,” he said, “Monday is my 30^th birthday, I’m planning to announce my retirement from the bullring. The world will always consider me a world class matador, even after I withdraw. It’s time I turn my attention to more mature matters, like a wife and a family. I am now ready to spend my time managing my estate....Forgive me if I’m acting foolish, it’s been a long night and it’s starting to catch up with me. I would like nothing more than to stand here in the middle of the street in the middle of New York City for the rest of the day, holding you and tasting your sweet, wet kisses, but I still have two uninvited guests to attend to.”

Pamela’s eyes began to tear as she said, “You’re not acting foolish. I think it takes a special kind of man to be able to weep over his emotional memories. What could be more sincere and touching?” she consoled.

“And I too would like to spend the day in your arms, but today is not that day. You may not want to admit it, but you have a lost a lot of blood and you need to rest. Why don’t we finish our walk to my house and hail you a cab to take you back to your hotel. I live right there,” she said as she pointed to a large brownstone with two stone lions at the front entrance.

Rudy smiled at her and nodded his head in agreement, “That sounds good,” he said.

They walked the few steps to the large house and climbed the wide marble stairs.

The formal oak double doors had brass numbers and an oversized brass name plate. Rudy read the plate aloud, “Doctor Pamela I. Bean. PIB, your initials spell PIB. Dr. Pib, isn’t that a soft drink?”, he asked in a chuckle.

“No,” she laughed back, “it’s Mr. Pib or Dr. Pepper. You have the two confused.”

“Ah yes” he said, nodding his head.

“What’s the I, stand for?” Rudy asked with wide open eyes in anticipated amazement.

“Ingrid”, she replied. “It’s an old family name. It was my great-grandmother’s name, my grandmother’s name and my mother’s name. And someday, it will be my daughter’s name.”

“Ingrid” he repeated with due respect. “Pamela Ingrid Bean, MD. I like it Pib” he smiled.

“This is a great old house” he changed the subject, “How did you come by it?”

“It belongs to my father. His company needed a representative here in New York....Wall Street, you know, stocks and bonds. The company has changed to doing business with direct computer links....so, no need for local agent....and empty house. I was planning my internship here and so daddy said I could look after things during my stay in New York. I bought this brass plaque and a pillow and set up housekeeping.”

“How old is it?” he asked.

“Turn of the century, was when it was commissioned to be built by one of the railroad tycoons. My father has owned it for 30 years. It’s really too big for one person, so I have a live-in maid who’s a wonderful cook and she looks after it.”

Rudy said, “I’d like to see the rest of it, perhaps you’ll give me the grand tour tomorrow evening after our dinner date.”

“I’d love too, any time,” she said.

“I need to get back to my hotel,” he said. “I wish I could explain my present predicament and my need to rush back but I really don’t understand what’s happening myself.”

He gave her a quick kiss on the lips as if they were a long time couple and said, “I’ll call you later today. You’re in the book, right?” Without waiting for her answer he turned and headed down the marble stairs to the street, waving his hand to attract the passing cabs. At the curb he stopped and looked at her. He hated having to deceive her, but he knew no other way. She could be someone special in his life if he let it happen this time. But, he knew it would mean he would have to be honest with her. He would have to tell her the truth about himself, about....all of the lies. He wanted to love her and he wanted her to love him. No one had ever been that close.

A cab responded to his beckoning and pulled to the curb. He opened the cab door and got into the backseat without ever taking his eyes off her.

From the porch she smiled and slowly waived goodbye and hoped she would see him again very soon.

Rudy told the driver to take him to the Broadway entrance of the Ritz Hotel. The cabby nodded his head and drove off as Rudy continued to stare out the rear window at beautiful Pamela.

Rudy’s cab arrived at the hotel’s back door at 7:30. He went up the stairs, through the dining room and to the elevator without saying a word to anyone.

The Do Not Disturb sign was still hanging on the door of his room where he had placed it. He used his key card to let himself in and left the sign hanging outside. Pib...Pib...Pib, he kept repeating in his mind. What would you think of this mess I’m in?

Rudy walked cautiously through the living room of the suite towards the front bedroom and stopped at the open door. He surveyed the blood stained disorganized bed from the doorway. The dark red blood on the bright white bed linens looked more significant by the light of day. The amount of his blood smeared about gave Rudy a cold chill. Pamela was right, he thought, he had lost a lot of blood.

At that moment Rudy’s heart started to pound as he realized that the intruders were not laying on the floor where he had left them. He quickly stepped back out of the doorway into the corner of the large sitting room to take cover. He held his breath and listened for any movement.

No sounds. Rudy waited for a moment, then rushed two paces into the bedroom with his fists at the ready. The two thugs were not in sight. He knelt down on one knee and looked under the bed. Nothing. The two bodies were gone. Rudy stood and slowly looked around the room. He could see no sign that they had ever been in the room except for the blood. How could they have left the room? He went directly to the spot where he had left the switch blade knife he had taken from them. It to, was gone. Had someone else been in the suite during his absence?

Rudy felt relieved that he did not have to deal with the two bodies. He was not sure what he was going to do with them anyway, so at least that problem was solved. Their disappearance however, was of great concern. Had one of the thugs survived and made off with his companion and the knife? Why would they trouble themselves to retrieve the knife?

Rudy was exhausted. He was feeling the effects of the loss of blood and being up all night. He would sleep a few hours and then he could continue to worry about the intruders. He made his way to the second bedroom at the rear of the suite and opened the door. The bedroom meant for Roberto was dark, cool, and undisturbed. The freshly turned down king-size bed looked very inviting and he wasted no time removing his clothes and let them fall to the floor. He crawled between the crip sheets naked. His thoughts turned to Pamela and her wet, warm lips. He needed her. He could fall in love with her.